Wednesday, February 24, 2016

American Idol, Ep. 15.15

UPDATED W/ PERFORMANCE VIDEOS!

Here's the agenda for this week:

Tonight: the judges will pick 4 singers to move automatically to the Top 10. The judges said they had to be unanimous among the three of them. They will not be performing tonight. The 10 singers not selected will perform a song they've already done this season. America will vote to save.

Tomorrow Night: the voting results will be revealed. 6 more singers will make it into the Top 10 and 4 singers will be eliminated. The Top 10 will then perform a new song live, for the first time this season. America will then be voting as normal, for the rest of the season. After this week, we move to 1 episode per week. That episode will be a 2-hour episode airing on Thursdays from 8-10 PM EST.

So, let's get to it!

The judges choose these 4 to get a "Fast Pass" to the Top 10:
  • Dalton
  • La'Porsha
  • Olivia
  • Trent
Dalton, La'Porsha, and Trent are very obvious choices. Olivia is a little bit of a surprise. I feel like they've been a lot more positive towards singers like Avalon and especially Jenn. I am super pumped about Dalton, obviously. La'Porsha was a given...much to my dismay. I also am not 100% #TeamTrent. I don't see what they see. I liked him in his audition and felt that he really performed well in Hollywood despite having mono. But now, I feel like he over-performs with way too much angst in his face. His runs are over-done as well. If he can reign it in and tone it down a notch, his performances will really excel and take him to another level. Until then, I'm not really a fan.

Now, on to the performances.

Manny – “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” by Stevie Wonder
I really wish he would have picked a different song to do again. I'm not a fan of this song. However, I do think he performs it well. I just don't know that it really shows off what his voice is really capable of. 


Gianna – “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
This was a smart choice for her. I think this was her best performance. I love when she straightens her hair. It's so pretty! She's doing an amazing job. I love the way she uses her vibrato on this song. For the most part, she's very in-tune, but I might have heard a couple of missed notes. Overall, it was a very strong performance. Just like last time, she sounded so mature on this song. She can come off as very young and kind of immature, but she sounds more grown up on this song.


Thomas – “Story Of My Life” by One Direction
This was a good choice, and probably my favorite song he's performed. If he can tone down the hiccups, it will be really good. I'm a little surprised he's not playing guitar. He's sounding great, with only a few hints of the hiccups...until the chorus. He was doing so well keeping it in check. And now it's just plain out of control, and it's the only thing I can hear. Please make it stop. I really wish the judges would address it. They act as if it doesn't exist. Please, he needs to know! Ask and I shall receive. THANK YOU HARRY!!!! He said it's becoming a bad habit and actually a bit annoying that he cracks on every line. Yep...that's exactly it. Woohoo! I'm so glad that someone acknowledged that they hear it and that it's not OK. He's also right that there's a fine line in something like that making him unique and just being annoying. It was OK at the beginning of the song when it was just very subtle. But when it is so loud and affected, it really is the only thing you focus on and you lose what he's doing with the rest of the song. I hope he takes Harry's advice and listens to it back. 


Tristan – “What Hurts The Most” by Rascal Flatts
Just like with Gianna, I love when she straightens her hair. It makes her look more mature. This wasn't my favorite performance the first time she did it. I don't know if it's better than the first time or not. I'm so on the fence with her. I want to really like her. I love a lot of the things that she does with her voice. But then her age starts to show and you hear hints of her nerves as her voice just kind of wavers a little bit. She also has some pitch issues at times. I always end up liking her performances, but they're always kind of forgettable. She isn't someone I get excited to see and hear each week.



Avalon – “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” by Chris Brown
My least favorite song she's done. It's hard to like her performance because I really don't like the song at all. The way the song is, it's kind of hard to tell whether or not she's singing it in tune or not. Definitely didn't love that. I think it was OK, but not something I would get excited about.


Jenn – “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
This is probably the best-suited song for her because she sounds a lot like Cyndi Lauper. She's going to have to start singing in tune though. Her high-pitched squeaks, not unlike Thomas's disguise just how off-pitch she is. If they call out Thomas they need to call her out for her vocal quirk that gets annoying. However, Harry said it was flawless. I would definitely say it was far from flawless.


Lee Jean – “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran
I love this song, and I love him singing Ed Sheeran, so this was a great choice. It's always a crowd-pleaser. His voice is just so smooth. I always, always enjoy his performances. He reminds me so much of Daniel Seavey from last season. They're both really young, both play guitar, and both have the cutest little dimples when they smile while they're singing. Such a good performance. I really hope he makes it through.


Sonika – “I Surrender” by Celine Dion
I really hope America votes for Sonika. I think she has one of the purest, most crystal-clear voices I've ever heard. Her only flaw is not being very dynamic on stage. Her voice is incredible and if she can manage to be more memorable on-stage and show a little bit more personality in the video packages, she will make it really far. This was another great performance. She never misses a note, and that is so refreshing. Just beautiful. Her voice just floats to those high notes and it's just so effortless for her.


Jeneve – “Ring Of Fire” by Johnny Cash
Oh man, I was so nervous. It's down to Jeneve and MacKenzie. I was going to be absolutely sick if they gave the last spot of the night...the pimp slot...to Jeneve of all people. Of course she would do this song. She got great feedback the first time she did it. Unfortunately, she so over-does her pronunciation of every word and it just seems like an act. It seems so fake. Like she's going to just go "kidding!" and then actually sing it normally. I actually liked her doing "Angel" because it was so different from what she normally does. If she could sing like that, she might (might) deserve to still be in this competition. But, if she's going to do stuff like this, I just can't see it. She is NOT the next American Idol. I'm sorry.


MacKenzie – “Roses” (Original Song)
I'm so stoked that MacKenzie gets to go last!!!! Everyone knows it's the best spot! You're the last person America hears, so you're fresh in their minds. It also shows the judges/producers have faith that he's going to give a great performance to end the night. I'm happy to hear his original song "Roses" again. It's either smart because it shows his originality and songwriting talent, or, it hurts him because people don't know the song and might not connect with it. I sure hope it's the former. I so want to buy this song right now. People are crazy if they don't vote him through. The competition needs him desperately. It's so great to have a true artist like him, who knows who they are and what they're doing.


Don't forget to vote! I'll just put in a plug now: VOTE FOR MACKENZIE! I'll also be throwing some votes in for Avalon, Lee Jean, Manny, Gianna, and Sonika. I honestly don't know who is going to get voted through. Here's who I would pick as the remaining 6, in the order I like them:
  1. Mackenzie
  2. Lee Jean
  3. Sonika
  4. Gianna
  5. Manny
  6. Avalon


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